A typical debit card holder may make a purchase at a point of sale using the debit card to access funds in the card holder's account at a financial institution. The point of sale may be at any type of location, such as a merchant's physical location, via telephone, via electronic media, or an online environment, for example. When the sale is made funds are typically transferred from the card holder's account, such as a checking account, to the merchant's account. Since the funds are drawn directly from the card holder's account, as opposed to a line of credit, it is possible that the amount of the sale may exceed the amount of funds in the card holder's account. In such non-sufficient funds (“NSF”) circumstances, the debit card issuer may provide the debit card holder with “overdraft protection.” Through overdraft protection, the sale may be completed at the point of sale even though the sale will drive the card holder's account to a negative balance, or an “overdrawn” condition. The debit card issuer, such as a financial institution, may charge a fee or other penalty to the account holder when the account becomes overdrawn. Such penalties may decrease customer satisfaction levels, such as when a penalty is charged when the amount of sale is relatively small.
In view of the foregoing issues, a need exists for systems and methods for a financial institution to address overdrawn accounts while maintaining acceptable customer satisfaction levels.